July 18, 2012 (Seattle, WA) - Join the celebration this Sunday as Vision Greenwood Park, a volunteer community group, along with the Greenwood neighborhood dedicates its new multi-sport courtyard at Greenwood Park. Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and King County Councilmember Larry Phillips will be on hand to shoot the first baskets to open the court.

The event will held at Greenwood Park at the corner of Fremont Avenue and North 87th Street on Sunday, July 22 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. with a short ribbon cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. There will be live music, food, demonstrations, and of course, lot of games.

The first of its kind in the Seattle area, the multi-sport court is an innovative play space that can be used for several sports: basketball, soccer, street hockey, freestyle skateboarding, and skating. With support from Seattle Department of Neighborhoods' Neighborhood Matching Fund, King County's Youth Sports Facility Grant, Seattle Parks and Recreation, private foundations, and donations, the community now has a place for teens to play in the neighborhood.

"This project is a great example of what makes Seattle great," said Mayor Mike McGinn. "Committed neighbors have organized and developed an improvement that meets an important need and brings people together. That's what the Neighborhood Matching Fund is all about."

"Promoting healthy lifestyles for our youth is core mission of King County and this new sport courtyard at Greenwood Park will provide a great place for kids to play," said Councilmember Larry Phillips, who represents Greenwood on the King County Council. "King County contributed to construction of this park over ten years ago, and it is great to see how the community has supported it and made it grow."

The opening of the multi-sport courtyard is the realization of a vision four years in the making. In 2008, neighbors approached Seattle Parks and Recreation about ways to improve two vacant lots adjacent to the park. The community organized themselves as Vision Greenwood Park to lead an effort to improve the park to make it more active and safer and to serve all age groups. As part of their master plan for long-term improvements and expansion of the park, the community constructed Greenwood P-Patch community garden in 2011 on one of the vacant lots. Now they have constructed a unique multi-sport court play space that features two goals with soccer goals beneath basketball hoops. The paving around the court is designed for freestyle skateboarding.

The celebration this Sunday will feature:

Live music by young local musicians Rylee Scott, Mackenzie Garceau, and Jarett Herron.

Food by Santi's Kitchen Food Truck and Bluebird Ice Cream.

Demonstration games on the new sport courtyard throughout the afternoon.

Suggested donation of $10 for adults and $5 for children under 10 years old.